The 63-year-old overhauled the X-Men comic and helped popularize the relatively obscure Marvel Comics in the 1970s. He helped turn the title into a publishing sensation and major film franchise.

Cockrum died in his favorite chair at his home in Belton, South Carolina, after a long battle with diabetes and related complications, his wife Paty Cockrum said Tuesday.

At Cockrum's request, there will be no public services and his body will be cremated, according to Cox Funeral Home. His ashes will be spread on his property. A family friend said he will be cremated in a Green Lantern shirt."

1 comments:

Dave Cockrum was a very nice and modest man who played a modest role in introducing a younger generation to the older generation’s definition of “heroism”. I had the pleasure to have had an indirect business connection to him many years ago, and it became easy to see where the good qualities of his heroic characters came from: he had these qualities himself. No wonder he was able to draw upon them (pardon the expression) so effectively in his work. Today’s comic books are populated by dark, brooding anti-heroes, reinforcing the jaded tendencies of their decreasing readers; Cockrum’s approach to these same characters offered a different interpretation, one rooted in the belief that great power offered great opportunities as well as responsibilities. And readership would usually increase on the titles he worked on, way back when. This is one former reader of his work who appreciates the small part Cockrum’s efforts played in promoting helpful values for a young mind. May he rest in peace.